The City of Cape Town’s Human Settlements Directorate has reached another meaningful milestone in the historic Dido Valley housing development, handing over 12 new Breaking New Ground (BNG) homes to beneficiaries from the Redhill informal settlement in Simon’s Town. The R170-million project continues to restore dignity and deliver long-awaited opportunities to families who have been waiting for safe, stable housing.
Once completed, the Dido Valley development will provide 600 housing opportunities. These will benefit both residents of the Redhill informal settlement and the Luyolo restitution community from Gugulethu. The Luyolo community was forcibly removed from Simon’s Town in the mid-1960s under the apartheid Group Areas Act, and this project finally enables descendants and some original members to return.
Councillor Carl Pophaim, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, said the latest handover marks important progress. He noted that teams have worked extremely hard throughout the year to deliver more homes and that welcoming additional families into safe, dignified spaces is a powerful demonstration of redress and the City’s commitment to restoring hope.
Further handovers will continue as homes are completed. Full completion of the development is expected in June 2026, provided all timelines stay on track.
The majority of beneficiaries for the project’s BNG component come from the Redhill informal settlement, located between Simon’s Town and Scarborough. All beneficiaries are selected through the City’s Housing Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register to ensure fairness, transparency and protection against queue-jumping. Political office bearers do not have access to or influence over the register.
Members of the public are encouraged to help prevent unlawful occupation of housing units and can provide anonymous tip-offs by calling 021 480 7700.
